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Lots of us have been where you are in regards to regain. Congrats on knocking of that first 40 pounds! Now that you know you can do it, the hardest part is behind you.
Hang in there and keep going. You'll be where you want to be before you know it!
A few years post op WLS I was dealing with a RH, Hypoglycemia, and some other issues (severe fatigue, orthostatic hypotension, etc.)
It took me a while, but eventually I saw a great Endocrinologist who diagnosed me with a Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency SAI. (Adrenals work, but pittuatary don't do a good job to stimulate them, or other glands)
The first endo I saw - belongs to "educated morons" group. He blamed me for not following proper post op WLS diet.
There are great endos, but not many know how to diagnose borderline adrenal insufficiency. And how to treat it. Some endos chose to not doing anything. They look at numbers and not the patient. I was lucky and persistent to find out why I was having the problems. BTW - having uncontrolled RH and hypoglycemia, I had to eat carbs, and I was gaining weight. Exercise would almost always trigger hypoglycemia, even yard work would do that. After I was put on steroids, I was able to lose the 15 lbs regain I had because I had to eat something every 2-3 hours. Even at night.
I am on a supplemental (Rx) cortisone (HC) that I take 2-4 x a day. Plus I am on HRT (hormonal replacement therapy) for estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
My other hormones (thyroid, HGH) got better after I was on cortisone for 2-3 years. The last 2 hormones, my doc wanted to give my body time to recover from years of undiagnosed SAI, before she would consider adding more Rx hormones. Problem with hormones is that when I started supplementing what I body does not make enough of, often the glands stop working, and I would have to be on those hormones (thyroid, HGH) for the rest of my life.
Because my pittuatary are "defective", we need to monitor thyroid and HGH at least every 6 months. Thyroid - not only TSH, but also T4. TSH is made by pittuatary, so testing it is not enough to see how my thyroid is doing. (I can have low TSH and below normal T4)
I hope you can find an answer.
When dealing with RH or Hypoglycemia, but when following a good diet (not a lot of sugar or carbs), you may have issues with your cortisone - not enough, or too much insulin. Or a few other things.
I still deal with a severe RH after I had lots of carbs. Before my diagnose - I would get RH after drinking a low carb protein shake, or eating 2HB eggs, or eating chicken breast (lean proteins).
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
Congratulations on the first 40 lbs loss. Good luck losing the rest.
I often loose more weight and lose faster when I don't exercise.
Expect the loss maybe slow. On average 1 lb a week is a reasonable expectation. Consistency and patience is a key.
Exercise can keep us active, prevent us from eating food during the exercise, plus some people's bodies make endorphins, and that helps with limiting how much they eat.
Changing the diet (things you eat and quantity) should result in weight loss, while exercise have other benefits.
I lost 40 lbs practically with not much, if any, exercise. Reducing carbs, sugars, alcohol, concentrating on proteins, fat with a few bites of veggies.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
It is not the taste that I am addicted to. It does taste like it came from a chemical waste dump. The addiction has to do with the caffeine, carbonation, the color of the cola, and the shape and colors on the bottle. It is designed to feel "right" in your hand.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
This is the only thing that works for me. I buy one bottle at a time from a store. Not a vending machine. I limit myself to two or three a week. I never buy more than one bottle at a time and try to make it last for tow days.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
I had my surgery 7 1/2 years ago. For the next year I steadily lost - almost 100 pounds, but still 30 shy of my goal.
Then I retired. I fudged a little here and there, but since my weight loss was steady, I never changed any of my other habits. Specifically: exercise. I just hate it, don't play any sports, and generally detest sweating!
I retired and sat down. Without the daily activities of working, I sat and gained ~15 pounds a year until I had regained about 80 pounds.
I finally got on a stationary bike at the gym and have lost about 40. But I am finally over my stubbornness. I hope I'm finally on the right path.
Definitely hear ya. I put off the surgery for YEARS because I didn't think I could live without Diet Coke! Quit before surgery, never looked back. I switched to coffee, tea, lemonade. I DETEST the taste of Diet Coke now. (Just chemicals.) I was such a DC-aholic that I didn't even know what else has bubbles! Ha! I learned the hard way that wine coolers and beer are carbonated. I didn't like them, never drank them, and never knew! NOT hard to stay away. I belch (LOUDLY) after every sip. ???
I was the same as you. I have quit so many times, then I would think I had control and think I could have one every now and then, only to find myself right back where I started.
I quite before surgery and replaced it with water with a shot of diet cranberry juice for flavor. It has been 2 months since surgery and I have only had a few cravings so far.
As you can see from my RNY date, I had my surgery recovery right through the holidays. My second meal with real food was Thanksgiving dinner. My dog wanted some of my plate and she was so sad, because I was so diligent on my measures she didn't get any from me. I had 2 oz of Ham (turkey looked too dry), one slice baked sweet potato, no sugar (think potato chip slice size), three tiny cubes of squash that was very soft. It was fun. I enjoyed talking with everyone and catching up vs. stuffing my face. Someone even made a bariatric SF cheesecake for me and I had a bite of that too. That was so nice of them.
HW 510 / SW 424/ GW 175 (stretch goal to get 10 under) / CW 160 (I'm near the charts ideal weight - wonder if I can stay here)
RNY November 2016
PS: L/R arm skin removal; belt panniculectomy - April, 2019
